Machine for cutting cloth into predetermined lengths.



No. 630,863. Patented Aug. l5, lss,

c. H. CROWELL.

MACHINE FUR CUTTING CLOTH INTO PBEDETERMINED LENGTHS.

(Application filed Mar. 2;, 1898.) A v (No Model.) 2 Sheets.$heet I,

III W K Weir (465565.-

MM. 3 iijfl Patented Aug. l5, I899.

C. H. CBUWELL.

MACHINE FOB CUTTING CLOTH INTO PREDETEBMINED LENGTHS.

(Application filed Mar. 25. 1898.)

2 Sheets$heat 2.

(No Model) IP15 vzTERS w. PNOYQUTMO wAsHmsTcn, n c

UNITED STATES PATENT CHARLES H. CROTVELL, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE CARTER, RICE & COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING CLOTH SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 630,863, dated August 15, 1899.

Application filed March 25,1898. Serial No. 675,058. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. CRowELL, a citizen of the United States,residing atLynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Cutting Cloth into Predetermined Lengths, of which the followingis a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention consists in a machine by means of which a continuous strip of clothtrived, after which the distinguishing characteristics of the invention will be particularly pointed out, and distinctly defined in the claims at the close of this specification.

Figure 1 of the drawings shows in side elevation a machine containing the said embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 shows the said machine in end elevation looking from the left-hand side in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view of certain parts, showing them in section on the plane indicated by the dotted line 3 3 in Fig. 2, looking in the direction that is indicated by the arrows that are adjacent to the ends of the said dotted line. Fig. 4 is a view in section on the plane that is indicated by the dotted line 4 a in Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows that are adjacent to the ends of the said dotted line.

1 designates the framework of the machine.

2 designates the supply-reel, the same having wound thereupon a continuous strip of material 3. The said reel is made fast upon a shaft 1, the latter being journaled in open bearings 5 on the framework 1 and having fast thereon the brake-pulley 6, around which latter is passed the brake-band 7, the said brake-band having one end thereof made fast to the framework 1 and having a weight 8 applied to the other end thereof.

9 designates a measuring-roll having the journals 91 thereof mounted in open bearings 92 in the framework 1. To the said measuring-roll 9 the strip of material 3 is taken after leaving the supply-reel. The strip is held in frictional contact with the surface of the measuringroll 9, so that when the strip is drawn forward by the operative taking hold of the same at the delivery end of the machine and pulling thereon the contact of the said strip with the said surface of the meas- .uring-roll shall rotate the roll. A convenient means of pressing the strip into contact with the surface of the measuring-roll 9 and grippingitfirmlythereagainst comprisesapresserroll 10, the journals 11 11 of which are mounted in open or slotted bearings 12 12 in the framework. Each journal 11 receives the pressure of a leaf-spring 151, the free extremity of which extends over the opening of the slotted bearing 12 for such journal, the spring being secured in place on the framework by a screw, as 152. The strip of material 3 passes partly around the presser-roll, then between the two rolls 9 and 10, and then around more than half the circuit of the periphery of the measuring-roll. For the purpose of preventin g accidental reverse movement of the measuring-roll a dog or detent 18 (see dotted lines, Fig. l) is or may be pivoted to the framework with its extremity disposed in contact with the surface of the adjacent end of the roll, the said dog being arranged to operate in obvious manner to permit forward rotation of the roll, while acting to arrest instantly the said roll upon rotation thereof in reverse direction. Thereby backward movement of the strip of material in the machine is prevented.

In practice the strip of material 3 is pulled through the machine by hand by taking hold of the advance end thereof at the delivery end of the machine, and after the required length of the strip has been drawn forward at the delivery end of the machine the strip is severed at the said delivery end, so as to out off the said length. For the purpose of severing the strip I employ at the delivery eiid of the machine cutting devices, which may be of any preferred construction, but which conveniently may consist of a fixed cutter-blade 19 and a movable cutter-blade 20, the latter being mounted pivotally at one side of the machine upon the pin 21 and acted upon by a spring 22, which presses it up against the edge of the fixed cutter-blade. The movable cutter 20 is provided with an arm 201, moving in unison therewith and which at the required time in the working of the machine is to be caused to move in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2, by means of power transmitted thereto through suitable power connections. The movable cutter is caused to occupy normally the open position in which it is represented in the drawings as by means of a spring, for instance, as indicated at 202, applied to any suitable point this normal position of the movable cutter enabling the strip of material 3 to be drawn forward between the two cutters 19 and 20. In order to assist the operative in accurately cutting the strip of material 3 into proper lengths, I combine with the measuring-roll 9 devices whereby the feed of the strip is automatically retarded or arrested after a portion of the required length has been caused to pass the cutters. Thus at 25 is a detent-wheel which is made fast upon the shaft of the measuring-roll, and 26 is a barrel which is mounted to turn loosely upon the said shaft and has connected pivotally thereto a pawl 27. (See Fig. 3.) The said pawl is pivoted to the side .of the barrel 26 and overhangs the detent wheel 25, so as to engage normally in the teeth of the latter, it being acted upon bya spring 28, which holds its engaging end in contact with the said teeth. Thereby as the measuring-roll is rotated by the forward movement of the strip the barrel 26 is caused to rotate. in unison with the said roll. One end of a cord or wire 31 is connected to the barrel 26, as at 301 in Fig. 3, the said cord or wire havingattached thereto and suspended thereby a weight As the measuring-roll and barrel continue to rotate in unison the cord or wire '31 is Wound upon the periphery of the barrel 26 until a stop or enlargement upon the cord or wire, which stop or enlargement preferably is constituted by the weight itself, is brought into engagement with a fixed stop,

'which last may be constituted by a portion of the framework or by a suitable attachment thereto or by the support for the machine.

,In' the drawings I have shown the said fixed stop as constituted by the bench 33, upon which the machine is mounted. Then by the winding up of the cord or wire upon the barrel 26'the stop or enlargement upon the said cord or wire is brought against the said fixed stop, the rotation of the measuring-roll is arrested, which serves to arrest or resist the forward movement of the strip under the pull that is communicated to the same by the operative, he having hold of the advance end 1 cause the nose or engaging portion to project" the machine.

has been severed it becomes necessary to disengage the said detent mechanism from the measuring-roll and reset the said mechanism prior to drawing forwardand severing a sec ond length of the strip of material coming.

from the supply-reel. To this end I mount loosely upon the shaft of the measuring-roll a throw-off disk 34:, the same being mounted at the side of the detent-wheel 25 and being capable of movement along the said shaft toward and from the said detent-wheel. The hub of the said throw-oil disk is grooved, as at 35, Fig. 2, the groove receiving the upper forked end of the arm 361, the said arm being afixed to the rod or slide-bar 371 and the said rod or slide-bar being mounted to slide or move endwise transversely or crosswise of When the said rod or slide-bar and its arms are moved so as to carry the throw-off disk 3i toward the detent-whee125, the beveled edge of the said disk acts against the lateral projection 271 of the pawl 27' and disengages the said pawl from the teeth of the detent-wheel. \Vhen this disengagement has been effected, so that the barrel has been rendered free to turn independently upon the shaft of the measuring-roll 9, the weight 2 operates to unwind the cord or wire 31 and rotates the barrel 26 reversely upon the shaft of the measuring-roll. The cord or wire 31 passes over a guide pulley or roll 381, that is located adjacent to the periphery of the bar rel 26, a loop or keeper, as at 382, being employed in connection with the said pulley :or roll to prevent the cord or wire from leaving the same. reverse rotation of the barrel at the proper pointthat is to'say, after the cord or wire has unwound sufiicientlyI employ in connection with the barrel a dog or pawl, as 302, which is mounted pivotally upon the barrel. The nose or engaging portion of the said dog or pawl tends normally to project sufficiently to engage in the backward rota tion of the barrel with a fixed'stop, as 303, herein shown as projecting from one side frame of the machine. Any suitable means of causing the nose or engaging portion of the said dog or pawl thus to. project so as to engage at the proper time with said fixed stop 303 may be adopted. In the drawings (see Fig. 3) I have represented it as provided with a tail portion of sufficient proportions to For the purpose of arresting the from the periphery of the barrel 26 under the influence of either centrifugal force or unaided gravity.

During the forward rotation of the barrel in unison with the measuring-roll as the strip of material 3 is drawn forward by the operative the cord or wire 31 as it winds upon the barrel overlies the nose or engaging portion of the dog or pawl, holding the said nose or engaging portion pressed inwardly toward the center of the barrel, and during the unwinding operation the cord or wire continues to hold the said portion thus pressed inwardly toward the center of the barrel, so as to prevent it from engaging with the stop 303 until the last coil of the cord or wire has become unwound, when the nose or engaging portion becomes freed and engages with the said stop. (See Fig. 3.) For the purpose of moving the rod or slide 371 and arm 361 so as to occasion the movement of the throw-0E disk into position to disengage the-pawl27, as aforesaid, I connect the rod or slide 371 to the rockshaft 235 by means of an arm 372 upon the said rock-shaft, havinga hole 373 through its upper end receiving loosely therein the pin 374, projecting from the said rod or slide. \Vhen the said rock-shaft is turned, it moves the slide or rod 371 endwise, and through the forked arm 361 moves the throw-off disk 34. In order that the movement of the throw-off disk, which disengages the detent mechanism from the measuring-roll, may take place simultaneously with the operation of the cutters, so that at the same moment that the length of material 3 last drawn forward is severed the devices of the machine shall be freed to permit the strip of material to be advanced again, 1 connect the rock-shaft 235 with the cutter-actuating connections. Thus in the drawings 1 have represented the said rock-shaft as having an arm 234 fixed thereon, with the said arm connected by a rod or link 231 to the arm 201. Thereby the rock-shaft is moved in unison with the movable cutter, so that when arm 201 is moved upwardly to cause the cutters to sever the strip the connections, which have been described, operate to move the throw-off disk simultaneously therewith to disengage the pawl from the detent-wheel on the shaft of the measuringroll, thereby freeing the said measuring-roll and also allowing the detent mechanism to reset itself preparatory to measuring a fresh length of the strip coming from the supplyreel. \Vhen the arm 201 is allowed to resume the position in which it is shown in the drawings, the throw-off disk is moved outwardly through the described connections away from the detent-wheel, and thus releases the pawl 27, allowing the spring 28 to force the said pawl again into engagement with the teeth of the detent-wheel. The parts are now in readiness to permit another length of material to be drawn forward through the cutters.

40 designates a trough which preferably is located between the measuring-roll and the cutters. 41 designatesaroll that is journaled in hearings on the framework above the said trough, with its lower portion entering the said trough, and 421 designates'a doctor-roll which is arranged to cooperate with the surface of the said roll 41. The strip of material 3 after passing the measuring-roll passes over this roll 41 and in contact with the periphery thereof, the said strip being held down in contact with the surface of the said roll 41 by a guide-roll 43, that is located adjacent the cutters. Then the said strip of material 3 is already gummed, the trough 40 and roll 41 may be used simply for moistening purposes. lVhen, however, the said strip has not already been gummed, the said trough and roll may be utilized for applying gum, glue, paste, or other adhesive to the strip as it is drawn through the machine.

The roll 41 has its periphery covered with absorbent material 411. The doctor-roll 421 is for the purpose of expressing from the said covering the excess of moisture or adhesive substance which it takes up in the trough 40. The said roll is furnished at its opposite ends with journals which are received in hearings in the side arms 422 422 of a carrier-frame having its journals 423 423 fitted to bearings at 427 on the machine-frame, the said carrierframe having an arm 424, to which is connected one end of a spring 425, the other end of said spring being connected to the fixed framework of the machine. The said spring acts to rock the carrier-frame in a direction to press-the doctor-roll 421 against the periphery of the roll 41. The extent of such movement under the influence of the spring 425 is determined and varied at will by means of an adjusting-screw 426, having its threaded stern fitted to a tapped hole in the arm 424, the end of said screw making contact with a fixed part of the framework. (See Figs. 1 and 4.)

I claim as'my invention 1. The combination with the measuringroll, its detent-wheel, the barrel havinga pawl or detent to engage the detent-wheel, the cord secured to said barrel and provided with a stop, the throw-off disk, and the cutters, of the rock-shaft in operative connection with the cutters, and the connections intermediate said rock-shaft and the throw-off disk, to effeet the release of the barrel at the same time with the cutting of the strip, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the measuringroll, its detent-wheel, the barrel having a pawl or detent to engage the detent-wheel, the cord secured to the said barrel and provided with a stop, the throw-off disk, and the fixed cutter and movable cutter, of the arm connected to the movable cutter, the rock-shaft having an arm connected operatively to the former arm, a slide or rod engaged by a second arm on the said rock-shaft, and a fork carried by said slide or rod and engaging with the throwoff disk, substantially as described.

after the unwinding of the cord, and throw-off devices to disengage the said detent from the said detent-Wheel.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES H. CROVVELL,

Witnesses:

GHAs. F. RANDALL, WILLIAM A. COPELAND. 

